


You're a stupid dickhead

by CaptainGay



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Background Sam Drake/Charlie Cutter if you squint, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Not Actually Unrequited Love, One Shot, Sully and Charlie are there too, and a teensy bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:33:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29320215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainGay/pseuds/CaptainGay
Summary: “And the first thing that came to mind was to make it look like we were about to fuck?” Another step. Chloe was so close, all Nadine had to do was lift her hand from her side and she would be touching her. She stayed still.“Ja,” it came out hoarse. Her mouth felt dry.-They were about to get caught breaking into somewhere they weren't allowed. Nadine had to act fast. She decided their best bet was to make out against the door they were trying to get into.They don't talk about it for a week. Had Nadine ruined their friendship?(Note: this is way more fluffy than the title and summary make it out to be)
Relationships: Chloe Frazer/Nadine Ross
Comments: 10
Kudos: 62





	You're a stupid dickhead

**Author's Note:**

> I really should be working on my long-ass fic for another fandom, but I really needed to write some Chlodine to satisfy my need for more content of them.
> 
> This was not beta read and barely edited. Feedback and constructive criticism is welcomed.
> 
> Enjoy :)

“Would you hurry it up?” Nadine whispered harshly. Chloe had been squatting in front of that door for an entire minute. It was solid wood this time, so there was no chance they could get in Nadine’s way.

“Patience, love. This is quite an elaborate lock and I really don’t want to undo all the progress I’ve made.”

Nadine snuck a glance down at Chloe. Her partner’s tongue was sticking out ever so slightly from the corner of her mouth and it brought a small smile to Nadine’s face. She snapped out of it and returned her attention to the end of the hallway, keeping a lookout for guards or other party guests.

The party going on downstairs was in honor of the host’s successful “archaeological dig” in Egypt. He was, in fact, a private collector of rare and historical artifacts that rightfully belonged in a museum or back where they came from. Chloe and Nadine had gotten their hands on forged invitations with the help of Sully and his contacts. They needed a way in so they could find a stele that supposedly contained directions to Queen Nefertiti’s tomb. A party celebrating the theft of this item, among others, was the perfect opportunity for the duo to get in and steal it right from under everyone’s noses. Sam had proven helpful by getting some of the mansion’s guardsmen drunk at the nearby pub and pumped them for information on where their boss kept his private collection. So, that was how Nadine and Chloe found themselves dressed to the nines, trying to pick the lock to an office in the hallway adjacent to the main atrium of the mansion.

Nadine kept her eyes and ears peeled for any signs of people approaching. The soft sound of people mingling downstairs and the tumbling of the lock were the only things Nadine heard for the first minute and a half they were up there. Then, two male voices, louder than anything else. They were around the corner at the far end of the hallway leading to the rest of the mansion. The volume of their conversation didn’t seem to get louder or quieter, they were likely standing in the hallway having a chat.

The men said their farewells and the voices stopped. Nadine strained her ears and heard faint footsteps on the hardwood floor. They seemed to be getting closer.

“Chloe there’s someone coming,” Nadine urged her to work faster in a hushed voice.

“Almost got it.”

A shadow appeared on the floor at the far end of the hall. The footsteps got louder, Nadine no longer struggling to make them out. The man was getting closer.

“Frazer,” she hissed.

The shadow loomed around the corner and the footsteps were clear as day. They only had moments before they were caught. Chloe was still rattling around with her lockpick, so Nadine needed to make a split-second decision. There were no open windows and the next nearest door was too far away to try to duck into (she doubted it was unlocked anyway). The only thing to do was to cause a scene.

Nadine turned and grabbed a hold of one of Chloe’s arms. She pulled her into a standing position and shoved her back against the door, making sure to cover the lock with their bodies. She had no time to worry if she had hurt her as she smashed their lips together. Chloe’s arms instantly snaked around her neck and her own hands found their way to Chloe’s hips.

The footsteps rounded the corner and walked a few paces in their direction. They needed to get into that room. Nadine broke away from Chloe’s lips and ducked her head to nip at her neck. She lifted one of Chloe’s legs, her partner needing no more encouragement to hook her leg around the back of Nadine’s thigh.

The footsteps faltered for a second, but continued. She bit down a bit too aggressively, instantly soothing it with her lips. A loud moan escaped Chloe’s lips and it took everything within Nadine not to lose herself in the moment (she had imagined scenarios like this before, but in those dreams Chloe loved her back). The sound seemed to stop the man from coming any nearer.

Whoever it was that had seen them was standing approximately twenty feet down the hall. Nadine needed to make sure they didn’t come any closer or try to shoo them off. Her hand that was on Chloe’s thigh traveled further up, fingers slipping under the hem of her dress, and she kissed further down her neck. She found Chloe’s pulse point and sucked, earning herself another moan and for Chloe’s leg to tighten around her, pulling her hips flush against Chloe’s.

The footsteps began to retreat and Nadine continued to kiss at Chloe’s neck until she was sure the man had rounded the corner and was out of sight. She pulled away immediately and put two feet of distance between herself and her partner. Chloe remained leaning against the door, breathing somewhat heavily. Nadine spotted a couple dark marks appearing on her neck and though she wished she could take pride in her handiwork, the sight made her heart sink and her stomach churn. She hadn’t asked for consent, had possibly hurt Chloe, and had let herself get carried away. Her and her stupid feelings had likely gone and fucked up the most important friendship in her life.

Nadine looked away, pretending to check down the hall. She schooled her features and tried to swallow down the bile rising in her throat. What was she supposed to say?  _ Sorry for forcing myself on you, I was just trying to cause a distraction? _ There were other ways she could have gone about it, but she just had to go and choose the one that could ruin their partnership.

“Give a girl some warning next time,” Chloe’s teasing tone brought Nadine’s eyes back to her. That was a good sign, right? The joking?

Nadine watched Chloe readjust her dress and smooth down her hair. Chloe flashed her a smile before squatting to resume her lock picking. Nadine felt some of the tension leave her shoulders, Chloe didn’t appear to be disgusted, hurt, or angry at Nadine, but she was also good at hiding her true feelings when she put in the effort to do so. She knew they would have to talk about it at some point, but as the lock clicked open, Nadine realized it would be a while before they had time to broach the topic. She followed Chloe into the dark office and shut the door behind her.

* * *

Retrieving the stele and leaving the party went surprisingly smoothly. They were on a flight to Egypt the next day and the following week was consumed by translating the stele, traveling to different locations, searching for clues, fighting off mercenaries, and saving Sam’s ass too many times to count. Nadine and Chloe never had a moment alone. The talk about what happened back at the mansion kept getting pushed back time and time again.

It was eating away at Nadine, but Chloe didn’t seem phased at all. She acted the same as she always did, flirty and sarcastic banter with a lot of physical contact (it took a while in the beginning of their partnership for Nadine to get used to how often Chloe touched her, holding her hand, pulling her in for a hug, a hand on her arm as she laughed at one of Nadine’s jokes, or a slap on the back of the head if Nadine was being too mean to Sam). Nadine wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Was it a good thing that the pseudo make-out session didn’t change their dynamic, didn’t push Chloe away? Or was it a bad thing, her unchanged behavior hinting at her total lack of romantic feelings for Nadine?

Nadine couldn’t decide if she wanted to know the answer. But the not knowing was making her head spin. She wasn’t used to doing so much thinking… overthinking… worrying. Thinking too much in her previous line of work was a recipe for disaster. Wait even a fraction of a moment too long and one would end up with a hole in their head or their legs blown off.

Then there was her private life while she was with Shoreline. Being the head of the company meant Nadine had no time to pursue anything serious outside of work. She wasn’t given the space to think (or to feel, for that matter). She had a short list of “girlfriends” and none of them lasted more than a year. Some of them were fine with it being just about sex, but they always ended up finding someone who was around for more than a few days at a time and who they could actually build a life with and Nadine was alone once more. She had cared for them all and with two of them it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility for Nadine to see herself settling down with them, but her life didn’t work out that way.

Chloe was different and Nadine’s life was different. She finally had control over her own life and she had all the time in the world to pursue things she was actually interested in. And Chloe… Nadine loved her. She wished and hoped and prayed she felt the same, but she never really knew for sure. Nadine didn’t have any real experience to go off of to know when someone had feelings for her. In the past, it had all been explicitly stated with the women she dated or slept with. She knew how far their feelings went because they told her outright. Chloe didn’t do that. She flirted and teased and made suggestive comments, but never did she explicitly say anything. It wasn’t just with Nadine, either. Chloe was just a warm, affectionate, flirty person and Nadine had a hard time sorting out when Chloe was being flirty or when she was actually flirting (she had seen Chloe pick up a few guys and girls from bars, but she seemed to act the same way around Elena and Charlie and Sam, so Nadine was never really sure).

It kept her up at night longer than she cared to admit during that week in Egypt. Whenever there wasn’t a pressing concern during the day, her mind would wander back to that mansion, head full of thoughts of Chloe until she couldn’t take it anymore and got up to take a walk, clear her head and get ready for the day’s work. Sam noticed a change and kept his distance, still unsure she wouldn’t blow a fuse at any moment (she had only lashed once after India, but Sam knew not to press her buttons or he would end up with a bruised arm since she was not afraid to punch him a bit too hard to be friendly when he was being especially annoying). If Chloe noticed, she didn’t let on.

* * *

It finally came out on their second day home after returning to London.

Their first day back wasn’t even a full day, having landed just after noon. The rest of the evening was spent washing blood stains out of clothes, making a list of items and clothing that needed replacement if they were too shredded, taking inventory of all her injuries (nothing was broken and Nadine only needed a couple of stitches on her thigh from a bullet grazing her during their last day in Egypt), and giving her boots a proper cleaning. Nadine ate a microwavable dinner before crashing into her own bed around nine at night.

Though jet-lagged and sore, Nadine woke promptly at six in the morning and went for a run. She returned to her apartment, took a cold shower, went through a multi-step process of conditioning her hair, made and ate a cup of oatmeal, took her vitamins, and put away the laundry from the night before. It was just after nine when she left her apartment to go to Chloe’s. Sam had crashed on Chloe’s couch for the night (he still didn’t have his own place over a year after the events of India, Nadine worried he would couch surf until he died) and Nadine knew neither of them would wake up at a reasonable hour if left alone.

A short ride on the tube later, Nadine was letting herself into Chloe’s apartment. She was given a key when she stayed over for two months while she found her own place in London and Chloe had insisted she keep it for any reason that might arise, though Nadine was never over there when Chloe wasn’t. It served its purpose, it had become a habit to go over to Chloe’s the morning after a job or after Chloe had a night out on the town (those occasions, Chloe was usually nursing a hangover and Nadine knew she wouldn’t properly take care of herself the day after drinking). She let herself in, started a pot of coffee, and began preparing the usual night-after breakfast: bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast, and a side of beans (Chloe had lived in the UK so long, she actually enjoyed beans on toast, Nadine and Sam preferred butter).

The smell of food cooking must have woken Sam up because Nadine heard a grumble from the couch and then he was in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee. A splash of milk and an ungodly amount of sugar was how he liked it. Chloe shuffled out of her bedroom just as the food was being plated. She grabbed her own mug of coffee, a good amount of milk and a spoonful of sugar.

They sat at the little dining table and ate in comfortable silence, only exchanging a few words when their mouths weren’t full of food. Sam always piled his plate high and practically licked it clean. Chloe didn’t have a hard time putting a full plate away. Nadine ate significantly less than the other two, she ate many small meals throughout the day, a healthy eating habit the others liked to tease her about. She also nursed her coffee, just the tiniest splash of milk so the bitter sting of black coffee wasn’t prominent, but not enough to actually taste the dairy.

Sam washed the dishes as per usual, his repayment for being fed and allowed to stay at Chloe’s place. Then, they were out the door to meet up with Sully to receive their checks for the job (the payments went through him, as it was easier to just let him wire the funds through offshore accounts and into a proper bank when the source of the cash wasn’t exactly clean) and discuss what other gigs were available.

They spent a few hours with Sully, then went their separate ways to deposit their checks and take care of any other business for the day. Nadine went to the gym, like usual. They had plans for later that night to meet up at a pub with a few other friends and Nadine was looking forward to the distraction of alcohol and easy conversations with her friends. Though, she also dreaded the possibility of saying something she would regret while liquid courage ran through her veins and dulled her rational thinking. She would just have to limit herself later that night. Sounded easy enough.

* * *

It was not easy in the slightest. Charlie kept ordering more shots and the way Chloe’s body pressed into hers while they sat in the booth made Nadine’s skin burn and her head spin and she needed to do something with her hands to keep herself from reaching out. Another beer to keep her hands occupied. Pop a few salted pretzels into her mouth. Keep herself busy, don’t look, don’t touch.

Laughter around the table and Nadine felt herself laughing along, not even sure what the joke was. Chloe leaned to whisper something in her ear and even though the room was too warm, the hot breath on her neck made Nadine shiver. Nadine’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the bottle in her hands. Chloe needed Nadine to move so she could go use the bathroom, Nadine nodded and stood. A hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her in the direction of the back of the room. Curse the alcohol, Nadine set her beer down and followed.

Chloe led Nadine through the bodies gathered around the bar. The grip on her wrist was firm, but not painful. Nadine was not drunk, but if she owned a car, she wouldn’t have been allowed to drive. Chloe was getting there, but she didn’t stumble as she walked, so she was definitely sober enough to not do something totally stupid.

Chloe pushed through the door into the family bathroom, dragging Nadine with her. She shut and locked the door behind them. Chloe paused and stared at Nadine for a few seconds. Nadine felt her heart in her throat, but between the alcohol and Chloe’s unsettlingly normal behavior, Nadine couldn’t decipher the look in her eyes. The moment was broken when Chloe made her way over to the toilet.

Nadine turned away and waited. It wasn’t unusual for Chloe to drag Nadine into the bathroom with her. She got a bit needy when drunk and certainly didn’t have any issues taking a piss in front of her friends (they definitely didn’t have much privacy on jobs, so they all had gotten pretty used to it). Chloe then washed her hands thoroughly and dried them just as thoroughly. But, she didn’t move to unlock the door.

Nadine felt eyes on her. She looked over to see Chloe staring at her. Her eyes were dark and she was biting her lip and her gaze flicked back and forth between Nadine’s eyes and lips and Nadine was sure it meant  _ something _ . Perhaps it was just the alcohol.

“I have been outrageously horny for over a week and haven’t been able to do anything about it.” Chloe took a step towards Nadine.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Nadine knew she sounded stupid. She didn’t know what else to say, her mind went blank.

“What for?” Chloe took another step closer. Nadine wanted to take a step back, but her feet were glued to the floor.

“I wasn’t thinking. We needed to hide what we were really doing there and I just did the first thing that came to mind. I’m sorry.”  _ I’m sorry if I hurt you, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable _ was what she meant to say.

“And the first thing that came to mind was to make it look like we were about to fuck?” Another step. Chloe was so close, all Nadine had to do was lift her hand from her side and she would be touching her. She stayed still.

“Ja,” it came out hoarse. Her mouth felt dry.

Chloe took another step and this time Nadine took a step back. Her foot hit the wall. There were only a few inches of space between her and Chloe. Nadine felt hot all over and she was sure it wasn’t just because of the alcohol or because the bar was kept at a solid twenty seven degrees (eighty if she were American).

“Why is that?” Chloe trailed her fingers up Nadine’s arm. Her hand came to rest on Nadine’s shoulder and she tilted her head innocently, waiting for Nadine’s answer.

Nadine was almost positive she was reading the signs correctly. She didn’t know what Chloe really felt, if it was just lust or something more. But her head was fuzzy, her heart was beating rapidly, and Chloe’s eyes were dark, so she didn’t have the time to worry how deep Chloe’s feelings ran in that moment.

She closed the gap between them. Lips met in a passionate kiss. Chloe’s hand moved to the back of Nadine’s neck, holding her close and Nadine’s fingers dug into Chloe’s hips. Their bodies were pressed flush against each other and Nadine could feel the heat radiating off of Chloe and sink into her skin. Thighs were shoved between legs and teeth were pulling at lips. The heavy sounds of their breathing filled the room.

Nadine spun them around and pushed Chloe into the wall. She couldn’t care less about cleanliness just then. With the thud of her back hitting the wall, Chloe let out a groan into Nadine’s mouth. Nadine’s thigh was pressed firmly up against Chloe’s core and she was shamelessly grinding down on it. She slipped her fingers under the hem of Chloe’s shirt and savored the gasps she caused. Her mouth moved to Chloe’s neck, sucking on fading bruises. A particularly rough bite made Chloe’s hips jerk, searching for more friction, and a moan to escape her throat.

“Nadine, love,” Chloe was breathless and her voice was low. Nadine felt her body ache with desire at the sound. She bit down gently into the exposed skin where Chloe’s neck met her shoulder. Chloe sucked in a breath and continued on, “can we continue this elsewhere?”

Nadine licked at the teeth marks, soothing her skin. She placed a lingering kiss to Chloe’s lips and pulled away. This time, she allowed herself to take pleasure in the red and purple marks down Chloe’s neck.

Chloe checked her appearance in the mirror, only fixing her hair before grabbing Nadine’s hand and leading her out of the bathroom. They walked back to the booth they had left their friends at. Nadine ignored their knowing looks and downed the rest of her long abandoned beer. Chloe grabbed her purse from the seat and checked to make sure she wasn’t leaving anything.

“Sam, I trust you can find somewhere else to stay tonight?” Chloe wasn’t really asking.

“He can stay at my place,” Charlie spoke up instantly. Sam took a long drink from his beer and didn’t meet anyone’s eyes. Chloe flashed Charlie a smirk and began to leave.

“You owe me twenty,” Nadine heard Sully say as Chloe led her to the door. Sam groaned and she made a mental note to ~~interrogate~~ ask him about it later.

It was only a five minute walk to Chloe’s flat from the pub. Neither of them spoke the entire time, but Chloe’s fingers were laced in Nadine’s and she could feel the energy humming between them. The cool night air sobered her a bit, for which she was grateful. Nadine wanted to be fully aware and in control that night.

Nadine’s keys were easiest to get to, Chloe’s were buried somewhere in her handbag. The second Nadine had locked the door behind them, Chloe was on her. She kissed her hungrily, pushing Nadine into the door as she started working on the buttons of Nadine’s shirt. Nadine kissed back, just as needy.

Chloe had managed to unbutton and untuck Nadine’s shirt. Their shoes had been kicked off and Nadine had undone Chloe’s hair tie. Chloe pulled Nadine’s shirt down her arms and tossed it aside. Her fingers reached out for Nadine’s abs, but found more fabric. She pulled away from Nadine’s lips and made a huff of disappointment.

“Why must you always wear an undershirt?” Nadine laughed at the whine in her voice.

Chloe pulled her second shirt free from her jeans and began to fumble with the latch of her belt. Nadine felt desire course through her at Chloe’s rush to disrobe her. She didn’t want to rush through the whole thing, though, and she definitely didn’t want to stay at the front door. Nadine did what got her into the whole situation, act without a second thought. Deftly, Nadine picked Chloe up and started walking towards the bedroom. Chloe’s legs wrapped around Nadine’s waist with no hesitation and her mouth found its way to Nadine’s neck.

“That was fucking hot, Ross,” she purred into her ear. Teeth tugged on Nadine’s earlobe and she was sure that by now her underwear was definitely ruined.

The door to the bedroom was open and Nadine had an easy time navigating them to the bed (she might have fantasized about this exact situation once or twice). She laid Chloe on the bed and followed her down. Her elbow propped her up as she kissed Chloe, allowing for her other hand to slide up her side and cup her breast. Her thumb grazed over Chloe’s nipple and even through two layers, she could feel it harden under her touch. Chloe moaned and nipped at Nadine’s lower lip while her hands found themselves on her belt once more.

Her belt was undone and Chloe wasted no time undoing the button and fly of her jeans as well. Her fingers slid under the waistband of Nadine’s boxers, but didn’t go any further. Nadine used that moment to sit up. She looked down at Chloe and found hesitation in her eyes.

She was about to give Chloe reassurances. Tell her they didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to do. Tell her it was alright if she wanted to stop. Chloe was quicker to speak.

“This isn’t just about sex for me, Nadine.”

And  _ oh _ . That wasn’t what Nadine expected to hear, but it was what she needed to hear. The nagging feeling in the back of her mind disappeared. Her feelings were reciprocated. She smiled and watched the worry get washed away from Chloe’s features. Nadine leaned down to place a gentle kiss to Chloe’s lips, to show rather than tell her it wasn’t just about sex for her either. Chloe’s hands came up to cup Nadine’s face. They kissed, sweet and slow and deep. Nadine’s heart fluttered in her chest.

Nadine pulled away and pressed kisses all over Chloe’s face. Chloe laughed, her hands sliding down from her face to her shoulders. She kissed the corners of her mouth, her cheeks, her nose, her eyelids, her forehead, her temples, her jaw… her neck. She grazed her teeth on her skin and instantly the air was charged with sexual energy once more. Nadine sucked and bit and kissed her way down her neck, making marks on the side she hadn’t gotten to before.

Her hand found its way under Chloe’s shirt and moved up to palm her other breast. Chloe sat up, pushing Nadine away slightly so she could remove the red article of clothing. Her shirt wasn’t off for longer than a moment before Nadine’s hand found its way to her back, undoing her bra with one hand in a quick motion. Chloe’s eyebrow ticked up. She pulled the straps down her arms and tossed the garment to the side.

Nadine knew she was staring. She drank in the sight of all the small and all the gnarly scars across her body. She wanted to kiss every one of them. Chloe seemed to have other ideas in mind, she pulled at the hem of Nadine’s shirt, pulling her attention away from her body to Chloe’s eyes. Nadine reached down to pull her own shirt over her head. Her sports bra followed. She felt herself flush as Chloe admired her body. Fingers brushed against her abs and she flexed them on purpose just to see Chloe’s eyes darken and her tongue wet her lips.

All the staring was making Nadine grow restless. She stood from the bed and stepped out of her jeans and boxers in one go. Chloe watched her from the bed, propped up on her elbows. Nadine reached out to remove the last of Chloe’s clothes as well. She was a vision. The streetlights bleeding through the thin curtains on the windows illuminated her body. Scars littered her body, some innocuous and some clearly gained from illicit activity. Her hair flowed over her shoulders and her eyes were a deep grey, they were taking in the sight of Nadine just as she was doing of Chloe.

Nadine moved forward and placed a kiss just above Chloe’s knee. She left a trail of kisses up her body and finally found her lips. Chloe’s nails scratched across her back when she rolled a nipple between her fingers. She smiled at the noises Chloe was making. She kissed back down her neck to her chest. Her mouth latched onto a nipple while a hand gave the other attention.

Nadine’s mouth moved to her other breast while her hand moved down, grazing across her stomach. Fingers tangled into Nadine’s hair, holding her close to her chest. Nadine’s fingers began to trail patterns up and down Chloe’s inner thighs. Her hips bucked, begging for more. Chloe whimpered and Nadine smiled, then took a nipple back in her mouth and sucked harder.

“You can take your time later, love. Right now I need you to hurry up. I’ve been –”

“– horny all week, yes I know.” Nadine said after pulling away from Chloe’s breast. She stopped her teasing and moved her hand to where she knew Chloe wanted it.

* * *

Nadine woke just after eight. Even without her bedside alarm, she usually woke around six. Her internal clock, set at a very young age and drilled into her over the years, made sure she was up at the break of dawn. But after the events the night before… she was not surprised she slept so long.

They had forgotten to close the actual curtains, the decorative ones did little to shield her from the sun. Nadine rolled over, putting the sun to her back and facing the woman in the bed. Chloe looked absolutely at peace. She was sound asleep, her face completely slack and somehow there was a hint of a smile on her lips. She looked about three years younger and oh, would Nadine get an earful if she ever said that.

She pushed a strand of hair from Chloe’s face and laid there a few more moments, enjoying the sight of the sleeping beauty beside her. Soon, her body began to beg her to get moving, she was never one to sit back and relax, it made her go crazy. She got out of the bed, trying not to disturb Chloe and searched around the room for her clothes.

After putting on her boxers and undershirt, Nadine went to the kitchen to start making breakfast. She had worked up quite the appetite after the previous night and she was sure Chloe would want something to eat immediately after she woke up. Yesterday morning, they had eaten something a bit healthy, so Nadine decided to treat Chloe to something sweet.

Chloe wasn’t up when Nadine finished making breakfast. She wouldn’t let it go cold, so she prepared their coffee and their plates and brought it all to the bedroom (not all at once, she was skilled, but not that skilled). The smell of food in the room didn’t wake Chloe up and Nadine smiled to herself, she had really worn her out last night.

Nadine leaned down to press a kiss to Chloe’s forehead and whisper in her ear, “wake up, sleepyhead.”

Chloe groaned and put a pillow over her face to block out the light. Nadine chuckled.

“Come on, Chloe, these waffles aren’t going to eat themselves.” That got her attention. The pillow was set aside and Chloe peered up at Nadine.

“Waffles?”

Nadine nodded and pointed to Chloe’s bedside table where her breakfast was waiting for her. Chloe sat up and took a sip of her coffee, humming in approval. Nadine walked around to the other side of the bed to sit next to her.

Chloe pulled her plate into her lap (she was testing fate, some of that syrup was bound to stain her sheets if she wasn’t careful) while Nadine took a sip of her coffee. Her eyes got caught on the marks she had left all over Chloe’s skin the night before. She smiled into her mug remembering the gasps she got for each one. Chloe’s moan as she chewed on her first bite of waffles brought Nadine back to the present and shot heat straight to her core.

“I love you,” Chloe mumbled out around the food in her mouth.

Nadine paused mid-sip, the rim of the mug on her lips, but the coffee not yet to her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chloe freeze as well. It was a slip up, Nadine knew she wasn’t thinking about anything else but the wonderful (Nadine was a great cook, thank you very much) breakfast she was eating when she said it. But they way Chloe instantly went stock-still at the accidental confession told Nadine that she well and truly meant it, she just hadn’t planned to say it like that.

Nadine took the tiniest sip of her coffee before resting the mug in her hands on her lap. She just needed to wet her lips, determined not to leave Chloe floundering. She looked over at her partner, her best friend, her… everything.

“I love you, too.” The soft look in Chloe’s eyes as Nadine said those words meant the world.

Chloe swallowed hard and Nadine absently thought that it probably would have been a good idea if she had finished chewing before swallowing her food because then she was taking a large sip from her coffee to likely force down the feeling of food getting stuck in her throat. The adorable awkwardness of it all made her laugh. Chloe sent her a cautious glare as she set her mug on her bedside table, but it didn’t last long. Nadine smiled and Chloe smiled back. She leaned forward to give Nadine a sweet kiss and Nadine tried not to think about how she was about to spill syrup everywhere.

* * *

Their mostly empty mugs and half eaten plates sat on their bedside tables, long gone cold. They had eaten enough to quell the pangs of hunger in their stomachs and then promptly abandoned their breakfast in favor of more exciting activities. How Chloe found the energy for another two hours of sex after the three from the night before, Nadine didn’t know. Though, they did have the stamina to trek across miles upon miles of deserts or jungles for an entire week multiple times a year, so she really shouldn’t have been too surprised. Still, she would have liked a warning to prepare her forearm muscles for all the work they had done the past half-day.

Chloe’s phone buzzed from its place on her bedside table. It went ignored, for Nadine’s head was in between Chloe’s legs and her hair was getting pulled on. Chloe was getting closer and Nadine was seriously contemplating creating a whole new exercise routine for her arms because her fingers and forearms were burning with exhaustion, but she couldn’t stop. The phone buzzed again. Chloe let out a groan, half in annoyance and half in pleasure. The phone was ignored again.

Chloe was coming undone and Nadine was helping her ride out the waves and that damn phone was buzzing again. Nadine almost had a mind to reach over and knock the phone to the floor, but her hands and face were a bit preoccupied. Chloe calmed and Nadine stilled her movements. On the fourth time, Chloe picked up the phone.

“What,” she snapped. Nadine retracted her hand, it felt weird to be two knuckles deep while Chloe was on a call (perhaps after a discussion with her and at a future date, it could be a  _ thing _ , but not at the current time).

Nadine could barely hear the person on the other end of the line. It was a man, which didn’t narrow down the list much of who it could have been. Phones always made people sound different.

“No, Sam, you cannot come over. I don’t care that all your shit is here.”

Ah. Nadine knew she recognized the whining tone. He said something else, not that Nadine could make out what it was and not that she cared to try.

“ _ Yes I’m in the middle of something _ . Yes, it’s bloody important. Just ask Charlie to lend you some clothes, I have a feeling he will be beyond happy to help. Now can I please just fuck my girlfriend in peace?”

She hung up before Sam could respond. With a huff, the phone was switched to silent and placed none too gently on the bedside table. Nadine chuckled and ran her fingers lightly up and down Chloe’s inner thighs.

“What?” The last of her annoyance was fading away, but it stained her question. Nadine overlooked it, knowing it wasn’t aimed at her.

“Girlfriend, huh?” She sent a teasing smirk up at Chloe, who rolled her eyes in response, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Do you prefer the term partner?” It was said half-jokingly, but Nadine could tell from the look in her eyes, it was a genuine question she wanted an honest answer to.

“No, partner is too formal. We’re already business partners. Girlfriend is perfect. Just like you.” To make her point, she pressed a loving kiss to Chloe’s hip. Fingers curled into her hair, not aggressively like before, but delicate.

“You’re a stupid dickhead, you know that?” It was said so tenderly, all Nadine could do was give Chloe a look of utter confusion. Chloe swiped a thumb across the line of Nadine’s chin and stared into her eyes. “If I had known all it took to get together was a kiss, I would have kissed you way sooner.”

Nadine just blinked at her, not sure how to respond.

“I have been trying to pick you up for  _ months _ ,” she paused and hummed then continued, “maybe ‘pick you up’ isn’t the proper phrasing. It was a bit…  _ much _ more than that.”

Nadine still didn’t respond. No words she could come up with would be enough to convey what she was feeling in the right way.

“I was starting to worry you weren’t interested.” A small flash of sadness crossed her eyes and Nadine felt the need to say something to make it go away.

“Of course I was interested, I just… I guess I’m not very good at subtlety. Reading into it, that is. I thought you were just being nice.” At that Chloe laughed, tossing her head back. Nadine found herself smiling along.

“Nice? Nadine, I tried every trick in the book to get you to go out with me. I swear I made Sam puke a couple of times from all my flirting.”

“Every trick in the book except for just asking me out?” She said it teasingly, making sure Chloe knew it wasn’t an accusation. They got there in the end, didn’t they?

“Yes, well, not my best judgement call.” She smiled softly, her thumb now tracing Nadine’s lower lip and her eyes following the movement.

“Speaking of judgement calls, did you think picking up other people at the bar would make me think you wanted to go out with me?” That was more of an accusation, but she still said it carefully.

Chloe winced and her thumb stopped moving. Nadine reached up to hold Chloe’s hand to her face, reassuring her the conversation was not meant to throw barbs.

“Not my finest moment either. I was trying to make you jealous, none of my previous attempts had worked. I realized, after a kick in the ass from Sam, that it was the wrong choice. I haven’t slept with anyone in five months, which is quite an accomplishment for me. Well, I  _ hadn’t _ .” The upwards curl of her mouth warmed Nadine’s heart. Her eyes found Nadine’s and with a serious expression she said “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, doesn’t matter now.” She meant it. What was done was done, it was in the past and neither of them could change it. It didn’t hurt her anymore, hadn’t for a while. She was just glad it had all worked out in the end, no matter how crazy of a situation it was that got them there.

She kissed the pad of Chloe’s thumb and repeated those words from the morning, “I love you.”

Chloe smiled, eyes shining in the midday sun streaming through the window. Nadine never wanted to look away, never wanted that moment to end.

“I love you, too.”

Nadine knew with a certainty she had never felt before that she would never tire of hearing those words.

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't know how to write kissing scenes.... I'm just like "and they kissed" wow, fantastic. Anyway, I hope yall liked it even if I can't properly describe kisses. Leave a comment and a kudo if you like. Shoot me an ask on tumblr @i-can-see-queerly-now if you want to see me write more Chlodine or anything else, really.
> 
> Love you all, thanks for reading <3


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